One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The
Enterprise visits the planet Neural, a primitive world where the Prime
Directive is in full effect.

This
is Captain Kirk’s (William Shatner) second visit to the paradise-like planet. Years earlier,
he befriended one of the peaceful natives, Tyree (Michael Witney) of the Hill
People. Now Tyree is the leader of his tribe, and married to a local witch-woman, a
Kahnutu Woman named Nona (Nancy Kovak).

But
there is a snake in the garden. Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is badly wounded by
an armed member of an opposing tribe.
These villagers possess flintlock rifles, which are generations beyond
the planet’s current stage of development.

His life in jeopardy, Spock is operated on by Dr. M’Benga (Booker Bradshaw) aboard
the Enterprise, and Nurse Chapel (Majel Barrett) watches closely over his recovery, accommodating for some unusual Vulcan characteristics.

On
the planet’s surface, meanwhile, Kirk and Bones (De Forest Kelley) must investigate the
very real possibility that the Klingon agents are interfering in the planet's development by arming the villagers, creating an
imbalance of power.

Kirk,
after recovering from a Mugato bite and being cured by the ambitious Nona, must decide how he
should intervene to help Tyree’s people, and weigh the cost of that
intervention.

In
space, all warriors are cold warriors.

That’s
a line, of course, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
(1991). But it also applies to this highly underrated episode of the original
series.

“A Private Little War” finds two
superpowers waging war, by proxy, on an undeveloped, or “third world,” planet,
Neural. The Klingons are a stand-in for
the Soviet Union, and The United Federation of Planets, represents the United
States. Neural is, of course, Vietnam.

The issues that Kirk and McCoy hash over here are the very issues that divided our nation when Star Trek originally aired. Delightfully and quite commendably, those issues are debated in a meaningful way in "A Private Little War," without resorting to straw man arguments, or easy answers. Each side is given a voice (via the words of Kirk, or McCoy), and that voice resonates.

“A
Private Little War” isn’t often named in the top tier of Trek episodes, but it
reaches that zenith, at least as far as I’m concerned. The episode offers a compelling narrative
in the Trek universe and at the same time the story tells us something
important about the world that we live in. Famously, the episode features a
direct reference to the Vietnam War, and validates the U.S.’s involvement in
it.

Specifically, Kirk asks McCoy if he remembers "the twentieth century brush wars on the Asian continent." He further describes the conflict: "Two giant powers involved, much like the Klingons and ourselves. Neither side felt that they could pull out."

And McCoy remembers, pertinently, the cost in lives. "I remember." He replies. "It went on bloody year after bloody year."

Kirk then notes that the only solution now is the one that was pursued then (in Vietnam): "a balance of power."

I
appreciate the fact that the episode is nuanced in its portrayal of the
conflict, and makes us feel, painfully, the agony of Kirk’s difficult decision. He can
walk away, obey the Prime Directive, and watch Tyree’s people fall before the
Klingon-backed Villagers. He could just wash his hands of the whole thing. He’s
within his rights and prerogatives to do so.

But
he doesn’t do that. He chooses a difficult path. He arms the Hill People, so
that the planet’s natural balance -- villager and Hill People -- will both
endure the interference of the outside forces The downside is that his involvement, as well as the Klingons’
involvement will result in an ongoing war, and the death of millions.

It is very likely, as Bones points out, that
Tyree will be one of the first casualties. Kirk is condemning the planet to war. But if he leaves, he is condemning the Hill People to extinction.

I
appreciate that there is no easy answer or solution to this problem, and that
Kirk has to pick the least-bad choice.
That seems very real to me, and in keeping with the world that we live
in.

I appreciate too that Kirk and Bones vehemently disagree,
and yet, remain friends through their arguments. They have
different answers to the crisis of Neural (maybe one is a democrat and one is
republican….) but at the end of their heated discussions, they go on, and remain trusted friends. We need more of
that comity here, in this world. Both the passionate, heartfelt
discussion of issues, and the idea that there is a time to put that
disagreement down, and move forward together.

I
also like the whole somber feel of "A Private Little War," and the fact Kirk has done his
human -- and therefore fallible – best to come up with a good answer for
Neural. Some may see that he is making the situation worse, or committing a
planet to a dark future. Some may feel
he gave the Hill People their last chance. Even he doesn't know if his decision is correct.

For me, this is exactly the kind of story that a series like Star Trek should tell. One filled with ambiguity, nuance, and difficult choices. "A Private Little War" leaves one thinking about it, long after the end credits roll.

Whatever
your belief, there is no pretty, happy or pat ending to be had here, and Kirk
and McCoy are abundantly aware of that.

Some
time back, I discussed what I feel is the “perfect” Star Trek episode, and came
up with “The Corbomite Maneuver” as being the most representative of the series’
spirit. I still think that's so.

Yet I also I
feel that “A Private Little War” could also be a valid choice on that select list. It
features an involving tale of an alien culture, and yet, simultaneously the Swiftian
commentary about the time or context in which it was created; the Vietnam War.

But
the episode features other values that Star Trek possesses in abundance.

For example, "A Private Little War" is also rather kinky or erotic, particularly in the presentation of Nancy
Kovak’s sensuous and manipulative Kahnutu woman. She is a powerful and strong character, and one who challenges all those around her. The episode adds another layer of mystery in her cure of Kirk; and the (myth?) that she now owns him body and soul. Does that account for the fact that their agendas align?

There’s action aplenty in the episode as well, and we even learn
more about Vulcan nature, thanks to Mr. Spock’s recovery on the
Enterprise. The action with the Mugato and the humorous scenes with Chapel keep the story from becoming a polemic.

Finally, the series also lives up to
the promise of a future of equality and diversity, by introducing us to the accomplished, and wonderful
character of Dr. M’Benga. We see him again in "That Which Survives."

Basically, all the elements
are in place here to render a highly positive verdict on "A Private Little War," though certainly one could say that a great Star Trek episode
should have a more central role for Spock in the action.

Next
week, I look at another story that I love, and believe is vastly underrated by fandom: “Return to
Tomorrow.”

I agree wholeheartedly, John, that "A Private Little War" is underrated and deserves more attention for its thoughtfulness and evenhandedness. There are no obvious solutions or easy answers.

What's most unusual about this episode is Nona's point of view: whereas women are often and predictably depicted as pacifists and peacemongers, Nona is contemptuous of Tyree's pacifism and passivity. You asked if her mysticism accounts for her agenda aligning with Kirk's, but I would argue that it does not. Unfortunately, it's hard to see this clearly because the eroticism clouds the picture, turning it into yet another mundane woman-manipulates-man-with-sex story. She is militantly pressing for direct action, but Kirk remains independent of her influence as he assesses the facts and deliberates about options. It's Tyree whose agenda Nona is trying to alter, and it's her death that accomplishes this feat.

For a better episode on a similar theme, "A Taste of Armageddon" is one I'd place much higher than "A Private Little War" on the list of episodes that just might, maybe, perhaps challenge "Corbomite Maneuver" for supremacy. There's just a little too much tropishness about Nona's erotic shamanism, and a hair too much cartoonishness about people running around in sheepskin and being attacked by furry monsters, to qualify this episode any higher for me. Let's face it, a snake would have been better than that Mugato, and Tyree didn't need that silly wig. Somebody overthought the plumbing a little.

Well said! Definitely in my top ten for all the reasons you said. I love the world-building here, Kirk's friendship with Tyree, and of course, the amazing Nona/Nancy Novak. Fans of this episode might want to check out the excellent sequel novel "Serpents in the Garden" written by Jeff Mariotte.

This is a top-tier Second Season episode, memorable on many fronts. It always bothered me, somehow, that the Organians never stepped in whenever the Klingons were up to their mischief. If they did, we wouldn't have stories like this one, so perhaps it's better that they were left to their own devices.

Also, the lessons in Vulcan physiology were pretty cool. It added to Spock's alien-ness, and Nimoy is really excellent, as are Booker Bradshaw and Majel Barrett. I would've loved to see more of M'Benga. Both here and in "That Which Survives," he really takes command of his scenes and has a presence which is magnetic and powerful.

I'll definitely have to look into that "Serpents in the Garden" novel, James! Thanks for the tip!

About John

award-winning author of 27 books including Horror Films FAQ (2013), Horror Films of the 1990s (2011), Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), TV Year (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007), Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair (2006),, Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company (2004), The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi (2004), An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith (2002), The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film & Television (2004), Exploring Space:1999 (1997), An Analytical Guide to TV's Battlestar Galactica (1998), Terror Television (2001), Space:1999 - The Forsaken (2003) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002).

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